Word Bearers
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| Word Bearers | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Primarch | Lorgar |
| Battlecry | Changes each battle |
| Colours | Red and Black |
In the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Word Bearers are one of the twenty First Founding Legions of the Space Marines, who have turned to worship of the malevolent Chaos Gods. They were in many ways the most zealous of Legions, and have refocused this religious fanaticism in the service of their new masters.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Lorgar
The Primarch Lorgar vanished from the gene-labs on Luna while still an infant, along with the other nineteen Primarchs. How or why he disappeared is uncertain, but it is known that he was found on Colchis, a once-advanced world that had regressed into religious fanaticism and strife. The infant Lorgar was discovered by followers of the predominant religion on the world, the Covenant, and was raised amongst them. Studying within a temple of the Covenant, Lorgar quickly became a devout preacher, his oratory skill and the power of his charisma winning him many followers. However, as Lorgar grew in standing amongst the people, members of the Covenant began to grow jealous of his popularity.
Lorgar's youth was plagued by visions of a mighty warrior in gleaming bronze armour coming to Colchis, a cyclopean giant in blue robes standing beside him. At one point, the visions reached such intensity that Lorgar claimed that the prophesied return of Colchis' god was soon to occur. He began to preach this news to the people of Colchis, causing disruptions to the rule of the Covenant as people converted to his beliefs. Lorgar's enemies in the Covenant saw this as the opportunity they had been waiting for to remove the threat that Lorgar was to the status quo, declaring him a heretic.
Those who came forward to arrest Lorgar were killed by his followers. The Covenant split into two factions, and a holy war of immense proportions erupted, eventually forcing the entire population of the world to choose a side. This war lasted six years, ending when Lorgar and his supporters stormed the temple at which the Primarch had trained, killing the monks within.
[edit] The Coming of the Emperor
Less than a year after the victory of Lorgar's people, a landing craft carrying the Emperor and Magnus the Red, along with two Tactical Squads of Thousand Sons Space Marines descended from orbit and landed near the temple. Lorgar was said to immediately recognise these people as the ones in his visions, and swore his fealty to his father and creator.
Every facet of the Covenant's belief structure was reorganised towards the worship of the Emperor as their saviour, and the people of Colchis united behind their new god. The elaborate celebrations and displays of piety lasted for months, although it was said that the Emperor did not approve of this, wishing to rejoin the Great Crusade as soon as possible. At the conclusion of the celebrations, Lorgar was made commander of the XVII Space Marine Legion, which came to be known as the Word Bearers.
[edit] The Great Crusade
Lorgar led his Legion throughout the Great Crusade, the Word Bearers seeking to eliminate all blasphemy and heresy within the new Imperium. Ancient texts and icons were burned, and countless innocents slain for displaying insufficient (or no) zeal in their worship of the Emperor . The construction of vast monuments and cathedrals venerating the Emperor was supervised. The greatest Chaplains of the Word Bearers produced enormous works on the divinity and righteousness of the Emperor, and gave grand speeches and sermons to the masses. The progress of the Word Bearers was slow, but domination of the defeated was complete.
However, the Emperor was not pleased with the lack of progress the Word Bearers were showing, and was even more dismayed at their religious fanaticism. One of the Great Crusade's major objectives was to liberate humanity from the shackles of religion and thus the Emperor personally reprimanded Lorgar, informing him that his task was to free human worlds from alien oppression, not re-enslave them under a new tyranny. Lorgar was said to mourn the Emperor's command for a month, speaking to nobody, wearing only hairshirt robes. The Emperor was about to reprimand the Legion again for their lack of action when news reached him that the Word Bearers had gone back on the offensive, and this time, worlds fell before them in rapid order.
[edit] The Corruption
It was this event that turned the Word Bearers to Chaos. Whilst Lorgar brooded over the Emperor's reproach, Kor Phaeron, his trusted lieutenant and closest friend, whispered to Lorgar of the great Chaos gods: beings that welcomed, even demanded zealous worship and devotion. Lorgar was slowly poisoned against the Emperor by Kor Phaeron, who was appointed Master of the Faith, and was tasked with converting the entire legion to Chaos. The Word Bearers came to venerate the gods of Chaos, but instead of throwing their support to one god, they worshipped Chaos Undivided, a pantheon composed of the four Chaos Gods: Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch, and Slaanesh.
The Legion kept their new devotion secret for the time being, while they worked to corrupt the Warmaster Horus. Thanks to the machinations of First Chaplain Erebus, Horus was lured into a trap on Davin's moon which resulted in his wounding. While the Warmaster lay ill and feverish on Davin, Erebus saw to it that he was exposed to the powers of the warp and turned against the Emperor. Some time later Horus openly declared his own faith in Chaos, and began the galactic civil war known as the Horus Heresy. The Word Bearers had sided with Horus even before the rebellion, and many of the worlds they had conquered since their conversion turned as well, having been corrupted by the Word Bearers during their conquest.
The majority of the Legion was ordered by Horus to see to the entanglement and possible destruction of the Ultramarines Legion, so that their vast forces could not be brought to bear against Horus' march towards Holy Terra. This was a task the Word Bearers took up with joy; for as they chastised the Word Bearers for their faith, the Ultramarines had become the favoured Legion of the Emperor. The assault on Ultramar was led by Kor Phaeron, who swore to utterly destroy the Ultramarines. The Word Bearers forced the Ultramarines to retreat before their onslaught, the Chaos Legion only stopped by a ferocious defence at Calth.
The rest of the Word Bearers were led by Lorgar to Terra, where Horus and his forces were repulsed and defeated after a fifty-five day siege. The Legion's forces were separated, with Lorgar's forces taking refuge within the Eye of Terror and Kor Phaeron retreating to the Maelstrom, vast wounds in space where the Immaterium leaked into reality.
[edit] After the Heresy
Eventually, the atrocities committed by the Word Bearers have allowed for Lorgar's ascension to become a powerful Daemon Prince of Chaos. He now watches over the Legion from the daemonworld of Sicarus, directing their efforts to raid, pillage and destroy the Imperium and its False Emperor.
[edit] Organisation
The Word Bearers have managed to remain fairly unified as a Legion, unlike many of the followers of Horus. The various forces and warbands of the Legion are scattered throughout the Eye of Terror and the Maelstrom, each led by a corrupted Chaplain known as a Dark Apostle. The forces, known as Hosts, range in size from a hundred men to organisations rivalling or sometimes surpassing a Space Marine Chapter. Word Bearers are split into squads of twelve, each led by a Champion who hopes to rise in skill and faith, so that he may become the new Dark Apostle on the previous Apostle's death.
The Word Bearers employ a large number of cults, causing their formation on Imperial worlds to act as a destabilising force to weaken a world before a Host arrives to finish it off. The one thing that prevents the cults from being so effective is the fact that they are often in direct competition with cults instigated by the Alpha Legion, a rivalry that has risen to infect the respective Legions.
[edit] Headquarters
The world of Colchis is long destroyed, bombed out of existence by the Ultramarines with the use of cyclonic torpedoes after the Horus Heresy. However, this is no loss to the Word Bearers, as they now launch their attacks from two worlds, the daemonworld of Sicarus, within the Eye of Terror, and the corrupted Forge World of Ghalmek, within the Maelstrom.
[edit] Combat Doctrine
The Word Bearers follow the will of the Dark Apostles without question, even when the tactical or strategic decisions of the Apostle are questionable. They will use fear tactics to break the resolve of the enemy force before marching forth in an unstoppable wave. The only way to halt a Word Bearers attack once it has begun is to kill every single Marine present.
Word Bearers forces are often completely unbalanced, often omitting heavy support or rapid response troops. This is because the Legion follows the visions of the Apostles, which sometimes border on prescience.
Before battle, the Host will summon large quantities of Daemons to be used as shock troops, believing them to be lower in the Chaotic order of things than themselves. Occasionally, cultist forces will be utilised, but only as human shields.
When fewer numbers are called for, the Word Bearers will often form a coven, a small group of 7-10 marines consisting of a number of specialists such as a close-combat expert, a marksman, a heavy weapons specialist, perhaps even a psyker. Covens are always led by a Dark Apostle.
[edit] Battlecry
The Word Bearers Hosts have no set battlecry. Instead, they choose a verse from the unholy "Books of the Epistles of Lorgar" prior to battle, and will repeatedly chant this verse in time to the beat of great drums. One of their favorite benedictions, "All praises!", often surfaces as a recurring chant.
[edit] Appearance
Prior to the Horus Heresy, Word Bearers powered armour was stone gray, engraved with phrases from religious texts. The Legion's symbol was an open book, with a flame superimposed over the pages.
After their corruption by Chaos, the armour was repainted red, with silver trim. The devotional engravings have been replaced with dedication markings and runes of Chaos. The Legion's symbol is now an open-mouthed, horned daemon, superimposed over the Star of Chaos Undivided.
[edit] References
- Games Workshop Design Staff (2002). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Chaos Space Marines, 1st Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-322-5.
- (June 2002) "Index Astartes – The Word Bearers". White Dwarf: Australian Edition (270). ISSN 0265-8712.
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